Grammy-winning arranger, composer, and big-band leader Maria Schneider joins The University of Texas Jazz Orchestra as part of the Butler School of Music’s annual Longhorn Jazz Festival.

Directed by Professor Jeff Hellmer, the UT Jazz Orchestra is the Butler School of Music’s premiere jazz ensemble. In recent years, the Jazz Orchestra has performed with such luminaries as Michael Brecker, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, Conrad Herwig, John Clayton, and Stefon Harris. The ensemble’s eclectic repertoire features original compositions of its members.

Maria Schneider’s music has been hailed by critics as “evocative, majestic, magical, and beyond categorization.” Her early work with Gil Evans found her producing arrangements commissioned by Sting and scoring the films The Color of Money and Absolute Beginners.

In 1992 she founded and gained notoriety with the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, performing a residency at Visiones in Greenwich Village every Monday night for five years. Subsequently, the orchestra has performed at festivals and concert halls worldwide, and she herself has received numerous commissions and guest conducting invites.
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